Written by Michael VanDerLaan
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Even the best players in the world are constantly working on their putting, and they are constantly working on the fundamentals by using putting drills. For many this is how they got good in the first place and how they remain sharp.
Most drills help to isolate a singular aspect of putting - such as either the stroke, the start line, or distance control. It is good to work on drills that can train one portion exclusively, and then add in “scoring games” or drills that combine what you’ve been working on with actually going through your routine, reading a putt, setting up to it, and making it.
When following this method, you will find that even your green reading skills will improve and you will learn to putt better.
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The Gate Drill
Perhaps the most famous putting drill on the planet nowadays, thanks to its religious use by the best putter of the era: Tiger Woods. Any Tiger fan has probably seen him doing this drill in practice or explaining it in a video. The premise is simple: set up to a putt, and then put one golf tee in the ground off the toe of the putter, and one off the heel. Then, you try to pass the putterhead through this gate and get instant feedback if your stroke or strike location is off.
A couple of variations to try are:
- Adjust how much room you have between the tees and the putterhead, to make the drill more or less “punishing.” Start generously and then when it gets too easy, move the tees closer. The best putters can do this drill with the tees snug against the putterhead at setup.
- Add another pair of tees a few inches in front of your ball and/or a few inches behind. Make sure to widen or offset these tees slightly to accommodate the natural arc of your putting stroke, and then you try to pass your putter through all three gates, framing the flow of your perfect stroke and providing feedback on both the takeaway and the follow through.
The gate drill can be done outside on a putting green, or even inside on a Perfect Practice Putting Mat.
This putting drill is worth more than a golf lesson.
The 3, 6, 9 Drill (3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet)
The 3, 6, 9 drill is one of the putting drills that I do almost every day. To do this drill, set up tees in a line 3 feet, 6 feet, and 9 feet from the hole. Then take 3 balls and try to make three 3-footers in a row. When you’ve accomplished this, go and do the same from 6 feet, but if you miss, you have to start back over from the beginning until you make three 3-footers, 3 6-footers, and then 3 9-footers in a row.
The percentages on this drill make it really quite challenging, but the main advantage of this drill is it simulates “pressure” as your streak builds, and you can practice hitting putts with a “must make” feeling or with the feeling that something is on the line, especially when you get to that last 9-footer and don’t want to have to start over if you miss!
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The Around The Clock Or Circle Drill
To do the circle drill, take 6 golf tees or golf balls and space them in a circle equally around the hole, all from the same distance. Then go “around the clock” and hit all six putts. After done, repeat the process from a longer distance. For example you could do the first round from 3 feet and the second round from 6 feet, but you can use whatever distances are best for you to work on.
This drill helps you to see both uphill, downhill, left- and right-breaking putts in sequence and adjust to different reads and feels of each.
While it can be tempting to try to fix your putting with a shiny and expensive new putter, a drill like this is the true solution to all your putting woes.
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The Coin On The Putter Head Drill
For this drill, place a coin either on the back flange of your putter head or on the top of the putter head somewhere where it will fit - a quarter works well. Now practice hitting about a 10 foot putt without the coin sliding off. This helps give you a good tempo as well as a smooth and even transition, because jerking the putter head too quickly away or through will result in the coin falling off.
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Coin Drill For Good Contact
Another handy use of some spare change when it comes to working on your putting is to work on your contact and low point using two coins. To do this drill, lay two coins on top of each other on the ground and practice “skimming” the top coin off without moving the bottom coin. You can do this drill at home on any surface or outside on grass, and you can experiment with different coins as your skill improves.
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The Chalk Line Drill
The chalk line is a tool used by carpenters or construction workers most commonly but has been modified for use as a golf training aid as well. There are golf specific models or you can use one from the hardware store. The basic concept is it looks kind of like a modified tape measure that you can draw out along the correct line and then “snap” the line to have it deposit a perfect path of chalk down on your surface.
Use this for putting to practice visualizing and seeing a perfectly straight line to putt down or use it on a breaking putt. To use it on a breaking putt, first hit the putt a few times to figure out exactly where it needs to start in order to break into the hole, then lay the chalk line on that line, and practice visualizing a straight putt to an imaginary target and watch gravity take it into the hole. Many good putters also putt like this on the course by turning every putt into a “straight putt” in their mind after accounting for their read of the break.
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Heel Against Alignment Stick Drill
This drill works best for golfers with more of a straight-back-straight-through stroke. To do this drill, set up to your putt and place an alignment stick down, parallel to your target line, and touching the heel of your putter. This will give you feedback on whether or not you take the putter head away inside or outside and deter you from taking it away on an inside arc. With a long enough stroke there will always be some arc, but at that point the putter head will also be off the ground so the stick will not affect it.
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100 Straight Putts Drill
This drill is one of the best for practicing your putting stroke and routine. It is as simple as it sounds: line up a short, straight putt and try to make it 100 times in a row. You could do this from as short as 2 feet and go back as long as you’d like to make it challenging, but 5 feet and in is probably best. If you miss one putt, you have to start your count over.
This is a great mental game drill that helps build concentration, instills confidence, and also simulates hitting short putts under pressure as you start to face the prospects of missing after 80 or 90 in a row.
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Brad Faxon Routine Drill
A fantastic mental game drill that completely changes the mindset from most putting drills is illustrated by Brad Faxon in the video above. The premise of this drill is to set up 4 easy putts around the hole, and go around but instead of trying to make each putt, you only try to implement your practice routine perfectly and that is the only thing you are evaluating instead of whether or not the putt went in. This changes your outlook from being results-oriented to process-oriented, which in a game of failure such as golf, is priceless.
Brad Faxon was one of the greatest putters of our time.